Dust And Shadows
by Sailor J-chanDuoxHilde 4ever
Summary: New title Mind over matter is how Earth took over Vegetasei and forced them into slavery, with technological strength. But as Kakarot will learn, it's heart over mind, and his fight for their freedom will change the way the universe thinks. Ch. 4 up!
1. The Raids

Disclaimer-DBZ isn't mine

Speech Patterns-

"Beauty's in the eye of the beer holder."-Talking

'I work hard because millions on welfare depend on me'-Thinking

Some people are alive "only because" it's illegal to kill them-Quoting 

~Don't take life too seriously, you won't get out alive~-Telepathy through a bond

"_Earth is the insane asylum of the universe_"-Saiyan word

****

[You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me**]**-Translation for Saiyan word

THE GENE POOL NEEDS A LITTLE CHLORINE-Emphasis

(You're mama's so old, she's in Jesus' yearbook)-Explanation of translation

(A/N: You're mama's so old, when God said "Let there be light", she hit the switch)-Author's note

The Raids

Celipa put her sons to bed. Turles and Kakarot, the 6-year-old identical twins, had beds that lay right next to each other. 7-year-old Radditz had one across the room. Their house was tiny, with a small kitchen and dining room, a medium-size living room, a narrow hallway which branched off into 3 rooms: Celipa and Bardock's room, Radditz, Kakarot, and Turles' room, and the bathroom.

"_Otanjobi omedeto _**[**Happy birthday**]**," she said, running her hand over Kakarot and Turles' hair. She had to be quiet. Ever since the Earth occupation, it was illegal to speak in Saiyan. It was deemed "treacherous" to the Earth.

Ever since coming under Earth's occupation, all the Saiyans' freedom had been curtailed. Their language had been taken away and replaced by Earth's language, so people never spoke Saiyan anymore, except in the home. All rights of free speech and press were taken away. Their houses could be searched at any minute for weapons that would "overthrow" the Earth's forces on Vegetasei. Just today, Kakarot and Turles' birthday had been interrupted by the inspectors barging in and searching. As they were law-abiding citizens, they had no such weapons. Those weapons were hard to come by, anyway. Everything, from heavy industry to toy manufacturing, was watched like a hawk by the Earth's government. Law-breaking was risky work, as the technological strength of the Earthlings—which far exceeded the Saiyans enemies, the Tuffles—could and was often used for punishment. Everyone knew that Earthlings made energy restraints that suppressed almost all your life force by the dozens. They also had things like shock prods and bang sticks, things that rarely killed but hurt as if a building had been dropped on you.

And though they hadn't had any weapons, it hadn't stopped the inspectors from carrying off the keys to their house and some money that had been left out.

It was a wonder there was still a king on the throne, even though he was merely a powerless figurehead. 

But, despite all the Earthling indecencies, the Saiyans carried on with life as best they could. They thought similarly the German Jews during Nazi occupation, before Hitler's Final Solution. This was still Vegetasei, and they were still citizens of Vegetasei, and so they would obey all rules set down before them by the government of Vegetasei.

"_Oyasumi nasai_ **[**Good night**]**," Kakarot whispered back, low enough for only her to hear. He was resounded with two other "_Oyasumi nasai_".

"_Oyasumi nasai_. _Daisuki_ **[**I love you (Used for children and friends)**]**," Celipa said, and left the room, crossing the few feet to her room, and getting into bed.

"_Oyasumi nasai_. _Aishiteru_ **[**I love you (Used for husband/wife)**]**," she said, climbing into bed.

Bardock grunted softly in return, which was his way of saying "I love you too".

Celipa's eye opened. She had heard something jingle outside the door. Hearing nothing, she closed her eye again.

There. She heard it again. She also heard a clicking sound, and the creak of the hinges on a door being slowly opened.

Her heart began to pound as her other eye opened with terror. She grabbed Bardock's arm with her hand and shook him.

"Bardock, _sore wa nan desu ka_ **[**What is that**]**?"

"_Nani_ **[**What**]**?" he asked groggily, half-opening her eyes.

The door creaked again. "_Sore_ **[**That**]**," Celipa whispered.

The door stopped creaking, and then the loud, hollow "THUNK" of a footstep.

"_Wakarimasen_ **[**I don't know**]**," Bardock said. He pushed back the covers and went for the closet. He took out and pulled on his armor, a flexible, everyday material call "armor" because it used to be the army uniform. Since Earthling occupation, the military had been discontinued, but ex-soldiers kept their armor.

"_Chuui_ **[**Caution**]**," Celipa whispered, as Bardock slowly pushed open the door and stalked down the hallway.

Suddenly, Celipa heard glass break. Her face lit up in terror. "_Kami-sama_, _iie_ **[**God Almighty, no!**]** She scrambled out of bed, throwing the covers aside. She went to the closet and pulled on her own armor. She was remembering the look on the inspector's face when he took the keys to their house. A look of scheming and malice.

She crossed the hallway and entered her sons' room.

"Radditz, Kakarot, Turles!" she sad in a loud, urging whisper.

They moaned and stirred, but their eyes remained shut.

"_Hayaku, iko_ **[**Hurry, let's go**]**!" Celipa said, picking up Kakarot. He was the smallest and weakest among the three. She reached for Turles' hand, the boy coming around Kakarot's bed, which stood between him and Celipa. Radditz scrambled out of his own bed and got to her side.

"_Mama_, _kore wa nan desu ka_ **[**Mama, what is that**]**?" Kakarot asked.

"_Urasai_ **[**Be quiet**]**!" Celipa hissed. The four could hear the sounds of a fight coming from the living room.

"_Wa Papa_ **[**Is Papa**]**…?" Radditz started.

"_Papa_ _gen'ki wa _**[**Papa is fine**]**," Celipa whispered, even though she knew full well that he wasn't, and that they were all in terrible danger. 

Anguished, she looked for a means of escape or concealment. But the empty room was devoid of hiding spaces. The other rooms would be the same, and the window was too small for even Kakarot to get through.

The sound of the fight began to get closer and louder. Kakarot clutched the collar of her armor tighter. Turles and Radditz edged in closer, the egotistic, false courage of children etched on their faces.

"_Musuko_ **[**Sons**]**," she said.

She looked down at their faces, which were upturned to her own face. Ever since she was a little girl, before the occupation, she had dreamed of this. All she'd ever really wanted was a house, a husband, and a few children. A little-known fact about her as that she adored children, especially her own. Under both governments, Saiyans had been encouraged not to have familial ties, but Celipa was the exception. She loved her family. She could train like a fierce tiger with her competitive husband and then be gentle as a lamb when one of her babies had woken up at night, screaming from hunger or a bad dream.

"_Daisuki. Wakarimasu ka_ **[**Do you understand**]**?" 

"_Hai_ **[**Yes**]**," they said, nodding.

Celipa nodded, accepting it. She gripped Turles' hand tighter, held Kakarot firmer against her chest, and inched closer to Radditz.

The door swung open. In the light from the hallway, they saw a burly man, obviously Earthling for his lack of a tail. He was over 6 feet tall, with a rough, unshaved face, and had an ignorant, malicious look about him.

"_Ojama shimasu_ **[**I'm going to bother you by visiting**]**," he said in imperfect, patronizing Saiyan, grinning and showing yellow teeth. 

Celipa didn't bat an eye. She just stared at him, glaring. "_Shujin wa doku desu ka_ **[**Where is my husband**]**?" she asked acidly.

He spat on the floor. "_Ikara_ **[**No matter**]**," he said, shrugging.

"_Nani_?" she practically screeched.

"_Ikara_," he repeated. Then he grinned and stepped forward, raising his hand. Four energy restraints were in his hand, four glowing, azure collars that brought weakness and fear to the Saiyans.

Celipa showed no fear, though she was trembling inside. She allowed the restraint to be snapped around her neck. It went on easily because of her short hair.

The man leaned down for Turles, but Celipa pulled her son behind her legs. Energy restraints were much too strong for children, even Saiyan children.

The man looked into her eyes with hatred. "_Baka onna_ **[**Stupid woman**]**." He reared back his arm and backhanded her.

Her face turned with the blow. The restraint was already working. Normally, she wouldn't have felt such an amateur slap. Now, a ringing sensation shot through her screaming head. Still, she showed no outward sign of fear or pain.

The man snapped the energy restraints around Turles, Radditz, and Kakarot's necks. He glanced them over, then grabbed Celipa's wrist and tugged her forward.

"_Iko_," he said in his imperfect, patronizing Saiyan. She followed him, still holding Kakarot to her chest, still clutching Turles' hand, and Radditz grabbing the cloth of her armor.

The living room looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Everything in it was broken or torn up. But Celipa only gave it a passing glance as she was led out the door.

The four of them were herded out into the street. 100 feet to the left stood Bardock, surrounded by Earthlings, the restraint glowing around his own neck.

A rough voice, not bothering to speak in Saiyan, commanded, "Stay in the street or we'll kill you."

And she was pushed forward.

"Bardock!" she yelled, running towards him. She reached him and, letting go of Turles' hand, wrapped her arm around her husband's neck. 

He looked at her silently. In his eyes, she read his message. 

"Don't be afraid. Even though this, probably, is the last we'll see of Vegetasei, don't be afraid. Show these Earthlings how tough we Saiyans are."

Other houses were being broken into, and other Saiyans were being dragged out, but Celipa and Bardock met this with dead, emotionless eyes. Only the boys showed any fear.

The family of 5 remained huddled together as their neighborhood was emptied out into the streets. And then, they were lost amid a sea of dark silhouettes, dotted with glowing energy restraints.

Well, that's chapter 1! 

Yes, this story is going to replace 'Saiyan Slaves'. I've got too many ideas for that story that won't come together, so I'm going to rewrite everything. Jo Lynn, Willow, Calis, Shoshi Beri, Niori, and the others who wanted to be in my story will be here.

REVIEW!! 


	2. Betrayal

Disclaimer-DBZ isn't mine

A/N-Vegeta is the same age as Kakarot and Turles.

Betrayal

Vegeta opened his eyes. He'd heard a noise. It sounded like voices.

He sat up in bed and listened. He heard nothing more, but he pulled back the covers and got out of bed, padding barefoot to the door.

Down the narrow, stone hallway, he saw a large shadow flash from the living room, then disappear.

He slipped quietly out the door and walked down the hallway. In a slot in the wall stood a single lit candle. He picked it up and shielded it with his hand. He'd often snuck out of his room before to walk around the palace or train on his own, so he knew he had to disguise every sound or light as a figment of imagination, a mere trick of the senses.

He made it to the end of the hallway and peeked slowly around the wall. He was greeted with the sight of foreign armor, of pink flesh and green flesh.

He jerked his head back and leaned against the wall. Zarbon and Dodoria!

Even children as young as he knew that Zarbon and Dodoria worked for the top slave trader in the universe, Frieza. Earth was Frieza's pet planet. Vegetasei used to be it, until Frieza grew bored with them and turned to another planet.

But before he'd left, he'd made a deal with the king that the royal family would never be harmed or enslaved by his men.

They should've known better than to trust him!

Vegeta rushed back down the hall, putting the candle back as he did. Instead of going back to his room, he turned into his parent's room.

"_Otousama_ **[**Father (With utmost respect)**]**! "_Okaasama_ **[**Mother (With utmost respect)**]**!" he whispered loudly.

His mother, Rosicheena, squinted her eyes shut and turned over. "Vegeta, _tsukaremashita_ **[**I'm tired**]**," she said sleepily.

"Zarbon! Dodoria!"

"_Nani_?" King Vegeta said, opening his eyes.

Vegeta pointed towards the door, moving his finger to indicate down the hall.

King Vegeta got out of bed, followed closely by Queen Rosicheena. Vegeta led the way, but Queen Rosicheena grabbed his arm.

"_Iie_ **[**No**]**," she said, pushing him back into the room. She shut the door behind her.

Vegeta stalked back to the bed and sat down, waiting impatiently.

His eyes flew open as he heard a scream. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep again. He sat up.

Those screams…they were Rosicheena's!

"_Okaasama_!" he shouted, running to the door and opening it.

"Vegeta!" He saw Rosicheena coming down the hall. "_Iko_! _Hayaku_!"

"_Otousama wa doku desu ka_ **[**Where is Father**]**?"

Rosicheena didn't answer, just grabbed his hand and began running.

"_Iie_!"

Vegeta yanked his hand from hers.

"Vegeta!" Rosicheena yelled as he darted down the hall.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "_O_…_Otousama_…"  
King Vegeta was sprawled on the floor. There was blood on the floor around him. His eyes were rolled back into his head, showing only the whites.

Zarbon turned to him and smiled. "_Kon'ban wa _**[**Good evening**]**."

Vegeta began to back away. He went to ¼ of the hallway before turning and running the rest of the way.

Zarbon looked to Dodoria and began speaking in Earthling. "Should we go after him?"

"Nah," Dodoria said. "He won't get too far. Our back-ups already have her Majesty Rosicheena."

"And his royal highness here?" Zarbon kicked the body of the king. "He isn't dead quite yet."

"We'll let Infirmary pick him up. Don't worry about him." He flicked his eyes over to Dodoria. "I could do with some rest. We'll let the others round up the rest of them."

"Sure. We'll just head back to Frieza's. Mission: Accomplished."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

REVIEW!!


	3. A Cruel Angel's Thesis

Disclaimer-DBZ is copyright of Akira Toriyama. A Cruel Angel's Thesis is from Neon Genesis: Evangelion. The other song titles are from Ai Yori Aoshi and Escaflowne.

The Cruel Angel's Thesis

Bardock and Celipa—Celipa still holding the twins and Bardock holding Radditz by the shoulder—entered the spaceship. Kakarot looked at everything with wide eyes, his small, round, black pupils just barely moving.

"Move ahead," someone said roughly, and the family obeyed, moving forward. They notice that the Earthlings had stopped using the Saiyan language. That made it just a bit easier to bear, without the patronizing voices of uneducated foreigners.

They were nearing a desk. Behind it sat a bored-looking man in an Earthling uniform.

He glanced up as they approached. He looked at them all, sizing them up in a few seconds with his trained eye.

"You, you, and you," he said, pointing with each "you" to Bardock, Radditz, and Turles. "Go left. And the woman with the small one." He glanced at Celipa and Kakarot. "Go right."

"Why are you splitting us up?" Celipa asked, using Earthling like the man.

"The males and the stronger children are to be unloaded at a different stop than the women and weaker children. It's strategic marketing."

He looked up at all of them. "Halfway down the hall, you'll approach another Earthling. Stop there. You'll get your numbers."

"Numbers? We're just numbers?" Bardock thundered.

"Just go." He waved them aside, looking at the people after them.

The divided family looked at each other, for what they well knew could be the last time.

"_Sayonara _**[**Good-bye**]**," Bardock said.

"_Daisuki. Aishiteru_." Celipa turned away and started walking.

Kakarot peeked his head above her shoulder at his father and brothers. He raised a tentative hand and, spreading his fingers, waved good-bye.

Celipa stopped in front of the other Earthling the first one had mentioned. This time it was a woman, with a sharp, hard look on her face. Everything about her was sharp and hard, including her eyes, her hair, and the shape of her face.

"Gimmee your arm," she snapped out.

Celipa glared at the woman and switched Kakarot to her other arm. She held out her arm, underside-up.

The woman picked up the brand, grabbed Celipa's wrist with her free hand, and brought the brand onto her lower arm. Celipa flinched and gritted her teeth. She mustn't cry out. She mustn't disgrace her race's name.

The brand lifted, and she looked at it. FX27. Vegetasei's number.

"Gimmee the kid's arm."

Celipa took Kakarot's arm and brought it in front of the woman. She picked up the brand, grabbed Kakarot's wrist, and brought the brand down.

Kakarot had no sense of dignity or pride that was evident in Celipa. He screamed.

"Shut up, kid!" the woman yelled, and put pressure on the brand.

"Kakarot-_chan_, don't yell out," Celipa whispered in his ear. "It's only a damn Earthling."

The woman brought the brand away and dropped it on the desk. "Proceed to the next door," she said sharply.

Still glaring death at the woman, Celipa turned and walked down the hallway.

The hold was empty except for the two of them, but Celipa remembered that there were among the fist in line.

It was almost pure steel, except for a window on the far wall. The lights overhead were blinding white.

"_Itai_," Kakarot whimpered, using the Saiyan sound for "ow".

Celipa reflected on the differences between Earthlings and Saiyans as she walked to the far wall. Their grammatical structure, their words for simple things like "huh" and "ow", their legal ages for marriage, how long a pregnancy lasted, were different.

Even their legends were different, and here, legends could be fulfilled. 

"_Supa Saiyajin_," she whispered, looking down at her son.

Kakarot looked up at her. "_Mama_?" 

She shook her head. "_Oyasumi nasai_." She kissed his forehead and sank down to the ground. She drew her knees to her chest, as if guarding her child with a fortress, and loosened her grip on him a little so he could move into a sleeping position.

Kakarot could become a Super Saiyan. If he was treated this horribly for the rest of his life, if his anger could explode into energy, he could become one. It was a perverse way of achieving legendary status, but that couldn't be helped. At least something good might come out of this nightmare.

"Song."

Celipa looked down at her son. "Song" was his favorite Earthling word, just as "Thank you" was his favorite Earthling phrase. He said "Song" when he wanted her to sing to him. Sometimes she sang for her children. She had a beautiful singing voice, especially when she sang Saiyan. Saiyan could be a very elegant language if you took the time to listen.

"Song," he said, insisting though sleepy.

She searched her mind for songs she had memorized, which weren't that many. _Towa no Hana_ **[**Flower of Eternity**]** and _Yubiwa_ **[**Ring**]** were both love songs, and they wouldn't interest a 6-year-old boy. She racked her brain for more as the hold began to fill up. When the door to the hold slid shut, the perfect one finally came to her.

"Song?"

"_Hai_," she said. She held Kakarot against her and put her lips to his ear so the others wouldn't hear. This song was just for her son.

"_Zankoku na tenshi no you ni_ **[**Like a cruel angel**]**

__

Shounen yo shinwa ni nare **[**Young boy, become the myth**]**!"

She paused as the lights went out ad they were plunged into darkness. There was a frenzied murmuring among the smaller children. Kakarot whimpered, so she held him tighter against her. She moved her face to the side of his head and began whispering the lyrics again.

"_Aoi kaze ga ima _**[**A blue wind is now**]**

__

Mune no doa wo tataite mo **[**Knocking at the door of your heart, and yet**]**

__

Watashi dake wo tada mitsumete **[**You are merely gazing at me**]**

__

Hohoende'ru anata **[**And smiling**]**

__

Sotto fureru mono **[**Something gently touching**]**

__

Motemeru koto ni muchuu de **[**You're so intent on seeking it out**]**

__

Unmei sae mada shiranai **[**That you can't even see your fate yet**]**

__

Itaike na hitomi **[**With such innocent eyes**]**

__

Dakedo itsuka kidzuku deshou **[**But someday I think you'll find out**]**

__

Sono seanake ni wa **[**That what's on your back**]**

__

Haruka mirai mezasu tame no **[**Are wings that are for**]**

__

Hane ga aru koto **[**Heading for the far-off future**]**

__

Zankoku ne tenshi no te-ze **[**The cruel angel's thesis**]**

Madobe kara yagate tobitatsu **[**Will soon take flight through the window**] **__

Hotobashiru atsui patosu de **[**With surging hot pathos**]**

__

Omoide wo uragiru nara **[**If you betray your memories**]**

__

Kono sora wa daite kagayuku **[**Embracing the sky and shining**]**

Shounen yo shinwa ni nare!" 

She moved her head and leaned it against the wall. Rthymically, she began to stroke his head gently.

"Thank you," he said in his imperfect English, leaning his head against her chest, and began to slowly doze off.

"_Shounen yo shinwa ni nare_," she whispered, and then kissed his head. "_Oyasumi nasai_."

For that theme song, go buy a Neon Genesis Evangelion DVD. But be warned, the translation was dubtitled! It's hard to explain…well, that translation was sabotaged. It's not the real thing.

No, you people are all probably thinking that Celipa is horribly OOC, but the Bardock Special didn't give me much to go by, so I took what they gave and took it to the extreme. That means: A) She likes kids, B) She's a good fighter but she doesn't fight as much as the others. The singing part I made up. She seems like she'd be a good singer.

REVIEW!!


	4. Auction

Disclaimer-DBZ isn't mine

Auction

"All hands to bridge," a voice said over the intercom. "All passengers, brace for impact."

Celipa opened her eyes. As a habit, she looked down at Kakarot. He was curled in her arms, asleep. He'd adopted this position over the month they'd been in the hold.

A month. It felt like a year. She looked down at herself as well. She was undernourished. All of the food she was given went straight to her son, and what he couldn't or wouldn't eat was hers. Her joints were stiff and aching from lack of movement. She could see the veins in her wrist and her ribs against her chest. Kakarot was a little healthier, thanks to her sacrifice in giving the food to him.

Kakarot stirred and opened his eyes. "_Ohayo gozaimasu_ **[**Good Morning**]**, _Mama_," he said sleepily.

"Kakarot, you must start speaking Earthling now," she said. "We're almost on Earth, and they have to understand you."

"All right," he said, in his Saiyan accent. "Good morning, _Mama_. Can I still call you _Mama_?"

"Yes, of course, but without our accent. 'Mama' is a word on Earth, too."

(A/N: I marked 'Mama' and 'Papa' as Saiyan words because, if you watch the second Tenchi movie in Japanese, Mayuka refers to her parents as 'Mama' and 'Papa')

"All right-wing passengers, please rise and wait for orders."

"That's your mother and brother," Bardock said from the left-wing hold.

Turles and Radditz looked up at Bardock. They had been playing with Vegeta, who'd come into the hold with his near-dead father. The king had recovered from his outward injuries but his health wasn't what it should be. Bardock had been in the hospital long enough during his soldier days to know a broken rib cage when he saw one.

Turles and Radditz got up and went to their father. Vegeta wasn't much of a playmate. He barely talked to them at all, which infuriated Turles. Radditz spent his time keeping the peace between them.

"Kakarot and Mama?" Radditz said, trying to cover his Saiyan accent. Bardock had already told the two to start speaking Earthling.

"Yes. Most likely, they'll be separated," Bardock said.

"That's…that's my wife, as well," King Vegeta said from the corner.

Bardock looked at the fallen sovereign. The proud king, a symbol of Vegetasei's strength and endurance, was now reduced to the status of the weak and injured.

"_Okaasama_ will escape," Vegeta said proudly, thinking of the tall, stately queen, the pillar of confidence and compassion. 

"Stop referring to her as "_okaasama_"," King Vegeta said, weak but commanding.

"I'll call her "_okaasama_" if I want to!" Vegeta shouted.

Radditz and Turles were shocked. They'd never show such disrespect to their parents. Bardock would slap them if they ever shouted at him or their mother.

Bardock shook his head. The king and queen were too soft on the prince. The respectful names Vegeta called them were merely traditional. If Vegeta showed such disrespect to his masters, he'd have the bruises to show for it. 

"Listen well, boys," he said. "This goes for you too, prince."

Vegeta, Radditz, and Turles all looked to him with curious eyes.

"Always, always respect your masters. Don't talk back to them or disobey them. One day, when you're stronger, you will be able to take revenge on them for what they've done to us. But until then, obey them. Radditz and Turles, respect and obey them as you would me or your mother. Vegeta, respect them more than you do your parents."

Radditz and Turles nodded gravely. Vegeta folded his arms and tried to look uninterested, but he mentally digested what Bardock had said. He'd have to try it out in the field before he obeyed it.

Celipa, her arms aching from holding her son so much, set him down and took his hand as the door to the hold opened and a male Earthling stood before them.

"Form a line in the hall and proceed to the entrance. Follow the orders of the guards as they direct you were to go."

Celipa and Kakarot fell into place behind several other Saiyans, all of them elderly, injured, female, or young. Kakarot stared at them all with wide eyes. In the dark of the hold, he hadn't been able to see them clearly. Now, as the overhead lights blinded them all, he could see their faces, scared but dignified, as they blended together in a line.

"Kakarot, come," Celipa said, giving his hand a tug. He started moving but kept on looking around.

They took a left to the long, narrow hallway they'd come in on. The woman who'd branded them wasn't there. They turned into the entrance room and walked out the door, down the steel plank, and into trucks.

It was dark as they entered, and darker still when the plank was lifted and fitted in the entrance of the truck. A few rectangle-shaped holes from where planks had fallen off let in the sunlight, but other than that, the fluorescent blue of the restraints were the only light.

Celipa knelt down, a difficult task to do with bodies pushing up against her, and took Kakarot's arm. "Listen well, son," she hissed. "You obey anyone who buys you, like you obey me."

"Will it be like at home?"

"N-no," she said, sorrowed that she had to tell the cold, hard truth to her youngest, weakest child. "Papa and I and Radditz and Turles will probably not be there with you. Your master or mistress will not think of you beyond feeding you, if they even care that much. To them, you are a machine made to obey, and you will be hurt if you disobey. They won't believe that you have feelings. If you find a master who thinks of you as anything more than a robot, you've been blessed. And…"

"…don't push a blessing," Kakarot filled in. That was something Bardock had taught him.

"Good boy. This may be the last order I give you, so listen well. You swear it?"

"I swear it," Kakarot said, with the solemn air of a 6-year-old trying to be an adult.

She could've cried. But she wouldn't cry. Never must anyone know she was afraid, especially not her son. He looked up to her. He looked exactly like his father but he acted like her, with the I-only-fight-when-necessary-and-I-don't-forget-my-family attitude. 

There was nothing left for her. She would most likely never see her family again. Vegetasei was thousands of miles across the galaxy. Her freedoms were gone, most likely never to be granted to her again. There was nothing.

Nothing except pride.

She patted his head and straightened up. The truck was coming to a halt.

Kakarot held his mother's hand tightly, looking at everything, taking in every sight and smell. He'd never seen so many Earthlings in one place. Only the stiff, rigid soldiers lived on Vegetasei, not inviting their families with them. Toma—an old friend and comrade-in-arms of Bardock and Celipa's—had often said that they wouldn't be half as cruel if they were reminded that they had children of their own to be tended to.

The air reeked of sweat, weighed down by the heat, and it was filled with the shouts and whispers of the Earthlings: "Mama, I want one!", "How much will that one cost there, I wonder? I need a good maid", "The bidding starts in ten minutes". The Saiyans remained silent with their dignity. 

"Line up," someone said. Kakarot was too absorbed in listening to everyone else that he barely heard the female guard speak. But he felt it when a crushing blow came to his head by a steel-toed boot.

His head was screaming, and so was he.

"Shut up, kid!" the guard snarled, and shoved him forward. "Line up!"

"Kakarot, hush," Celipa whispered, giving his hand an affectionate but demanding squeeze. "Just obey."

"Yes, Mama," he said quietly, and kept walking forward.

Seeing him punished sent the crowd into an uproar. There were shouts of "That's the way to do it!", "Poor thing, I wonder why his head wasn't bashed in!", "Ha, ha!", and "It's a sin!" either in laughing or deadly serious tones.

There was a bang, and suddenly everyone was quiet.

"The bidding starts now," the auctioneer said. He stood on a platform in front of a podium, and he held a smoking gun raised towards the sky. He lowered the gun, and the first Saiyan, an elderly woman with a wrinkled, resigned face, was pushed forward. "Here is a woman, too old to run away, but not too old to look after young children. The bidding starts at 100. Do I hear 200?"

"200!"

"250!"

"I hear 250, do I hear 350?"

"400!"

"525!"

"I hear 525, do I hear 600?"

"600!"

"675!"

"I hear 675, do I hear 700?"

The crowd quieted down. No one needed an elderly woman worth more than 675 dollars.

"Going once, going twice, sold! For 675!"

The guards took her by the arm and led her towards the winner, and the next one was brought up.

"Do I hear 100?"

And so it went on for hours. The crowd began to thin out, but many stayed to buy more. Having slaves was a sign of quality, of wealth. The more slaves you had, the higher you were on the social status ladder.

Finally, it was Kakarot's turn. The bidding was finishing up for a teenage girl before him.

"This is good-bye," Celipa whispered. She hugged him. She held onto him for a long moment, then let go. Tears were in her eyes as she kissed his forehead, but she refused to cry.

The guard came forward and grabbed his arm. Kakarot looked like a rabbit caught in a trap, and reached out for her.

"_Mama_, _tasukete_ **[**Help**]**!" he yelled, forgetting to use Earthling.

Celipa watched him go forward with a sick look on her face. She wanted to die. She wanted to die. Life wasn't worth this agony.

~Celipa, don't you dare die on me.~

The sudden telepathic message interrupted her thoughts. ~Bardock? Where are you?~

~Not sure. But they dropped us off somewhere and we're waiting to be sold.~

~Oh, God, Bardock. I want to die.~

Don't die. Stay alive, and we'll get revenge on them.~

~I…I'll stay alive.~

Kakarot was on the block now, looking like he was expecting to get shot.

"A strong worker when he grows, easily trained," the auctioneer said. "Do I hear 100?"

"150!"

"225!"

"I hear 225, do I hear 300?"

"300!"

There was a pause.

"300, do I hear 400?"

The silence was deafening. Kakarot looked at the person who had bid 300 dollars. There was an evil look about him that made chills go up and down his spine.

"Going once…"

"400."

An elderly man had called out. He had a wrinkled face, dressed in the garb of ancient China. He looked at Kakarot with a kind smile, and Kakarot shyly smiled back.

The other man bristled. "500."

"550."

"600."

"1000!"

"1050!"

"Going once, going twice…"

"2000."

The auctioneer looked at the first man. He glared angrily, but he was not willing to part with 2000 dollars for a little slave boy who probably didn't know how to work.

"Going once, going twice, sold! For 2000 dollars."

The elderly man approached the side of the platform as Kakarot was led off. A guard punched the old man in the arm. "Sure you can take on a 6-year-old boy, old timer?"

"I'm sure I can," he replied.

"Here ya go, sir. Enjoy." The guard pushed Kakarot over to him.

Kakarot looked up at the man. "H-hi," Kakarot said, checking his instinct to talk in Saiyan. "I'm Kakarot."

"I'm Gohan." Gohan took Kakarot's hand. "Let's go."

"Wait! I wanna…" He looked backwards at Celipa, who was being brought forth. "Can…can you get _Mama_?" Kakarot asked, not bothering to cover his accent.

Gohan shook his head. "I'm sorry. I spent all my money on you. I didn't expect you to run so high."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Gohan started walking away, reaching into his pocket. "Say, do you have a nickname?"

"_Papa_ called me "Goku"."

"Why?"

"Because the name means "sky", and he said that's where my head was sometimes."

Gohan laughed as his fingers dug in his pockets. "You sure you want that nickname?"

Kakarot nodded fiercely. 

"When the last time you saw your father?"

"I don't know. Not since the day we left Vegetasei."

Gohan finally took from his pocket a small capsule. He pressed a button on top, and then tossed it to the ground. There was a hissing sound, and then, in a puff of smoke, it produced a car.

Kakarot jumped back. "What's that?"

"It's a car." Gohan started walking towards it.

"What's a car?"

"It's a machine I use to get around."

"Does it obey every order you give it?"

"Yes." He was perplexed by the boy's questions.

"What if it doesn't obey you?"

"I take it to get fixed. Or I sell it."

"Does that make it your slave?"

Gohan stopped completely. "What do you mean?"

"_Mama_ said that my master would think of me as a machine made to obey, and I'd be hurt if I didn't obey. That's the same as this car thingy, isn't it?" Kakarot tapped the door.

"No, not exactly."

"What's different?"

"The car doesn't know when it's being fixed. It doesn't have feelings."

"_Mama_ said that my master wouldn't think that I'd have feelings."

Gohan stared at Kakarot. "Goku, the ship you came on…what was it like?"

Kakarot made a face. "The food was yucky, but _Mama_ made me eat it. She didn't eat until I did. I couldn't run around. _Mama_ said that she wanted to see me all the time before we landed. I slept on her lap, and she slept on the floor."

"Before you got to the hold, what was it like? How were you captured?"

"Well, this man came into our house and started a fight with _Papa_. _Mama_ woke me up, and Turles and Radditz, too. And then this really big man came in and put these on us." Kakarot traced his finger around the restraint. "He slapped _Mama_, too. Then they took us to this big ship, and this man said that _Papa_ and Radditz and Turles couldn't come with _Mama_ and me. Then a lady put something really hot on my arm and made this." Kakarot stuck out his arm to show the "FX27" branded on it. "It hurt a lot. Then _Mama_ took me to the hold and…I told you what happened."

"Who are Radditz and Turles?"

"Radditz is my big brother. And Turles is my twin."

"When did you last see them?"

"On the ship."

Gohan stared at Kakarot. It had to have been a lot worse than this child's limited vocabulary could describe. "Were these Earthlings nice to you at all?"

Kakarot shook his head. "And they didn't say they were sorry, either." To Kakarot, this was the most important thing.

"Good God," Gohan said, taking Kakarot's hand. "What business are these people engaged in?" He directed Kakarot to the passenger side and opened the door. "Get in here."

Kakarot obeyed, and Gohan shut the door. He got in on the driver's side. In a few minutes, they were driving away.

There! Ain't you glad Kakarot got a nice master? I'll tell you one thing, the other Saiyans aren't going to get off so well. It's just that Kakarot always had the devil's luck.


End file.
